Blind-fastener.



E.y L. PRATT.

BLIND FASTBNEB..

APPLIoATIoN FILED 1111194.15310.

971,789. Patented oom, 1910.

'zjjz 3 IIIE@ @TAT FAIT FFIE.

ERNEST L. PRATT, OF LITCI-IFIELD, CONNECTICUT.

BLIND-FASTENER.

T o all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST L. PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Litchfield, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Blind-Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of this invention to provide a device adapted to be secured to the meeting edges of a pair of blinds, not only to hold the blinds together, but, as well, to retain the slats of the blinds either in a closed or in a partially open position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pair of resilient arms, adapted at their adjacent ends, to interlock in a novel manner; and to provide the said arms, at their remote ends, with novel means for engaging the rods whereby the slats of the blinds are connected.

Another object of the invention is to provide a member adapted t0 be mounted upon the rod whereby the blind slats are connected, the said member being arranged to interlock with one of the hereinbefore mentioned resilient arms.

IVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, delineated in the drawings, and claimed, it being' understood that changes, properly falling within the scope of what. is claimed, may be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to denote the corresponding part:` throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a pair of blinds equipped with the locking device of my invention, the parts thereof being disposed in their locked positions; Fig. 2 is a fragmental front elevation showing the component portions of the locking device spaced apart, and in unlocked position; Fig. 3 is a section showing one end of one of the resilient arms and the interlocking elements thereon; Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the device taken adjacent the meeting edges of the blinds; Fig. 5 is a perspective showing of one of the plates wherewith the resilient arms are connected; Fig. 6 is a section of one of the base plates and of the parts which interlock there- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19, 1910.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

serial No. 544,891.

with; and Fig. 7 is a detailed perspective of -denoted by the numeral 1. The slats of the blinds are denoted by the numeral 2; and the rods whereby the slats 2 are connected, by the numeral 8.

In carrying out my invention, I secure to the stiles 1, a pair of plates 4. These plates 4, upon their meeting edges, are provided with arms 5, outstanding substantially at right angles to the said plates. Upon these arms 5 are mounted transverse heads 6, which, as lshown most clearly in Fig. 6,-outstand upon their remote faces, beyond the arms 5, the plates 4, the arms 5 and the heads G being preferably formed integrally.

The invention further includes a pair of resilient arms 7. To the outer faces of these arms 7 are secured plates 8. rFhere are elongated openings 9 extended through the arms 7 and through the plates S, these openings 9 being adapted to receive retaining elements 10, extended into the plates 4, and constituting pivot elements, upon which the arms 7 may move, both pivotally and slidably. In the adjacent edges of the plates 8 and the arms 7, there are notches 11. These notches are adapted to clear the portions 5 of the plates 4, to allow the adjacent edges of the arms 7 to be brought together when the arms are tilted. These notches 11 moreover enable the arms 7 to be slid longitudinally upon each other, after their adjacent edges have been brought together by moving the arms 7 pivotally upon the retaining elements 10. As shown at 12, the plates 8 overhang the arms 7 at one end of the plates, while at the other end of the plates, the arms 7 outstand beyond the plates 8, as shown at 14. The overhanging portion 12 of the plate 8 is terminally provided with an outstanding finger 15 which is spaced apart from the arm 7. At the other end of the plate 8 there is an arm 16 which is rectangularly disposed with respect to the resilient arm 7 upon which the plate 8 is mounted. rIhe arm 16 has a rectangularly disposed extension 17, extended parallel to the arm 7, and the eX- tremity of the arm 16 is rounded and bent over as shown at 18. Beneath this rounded portion 18, an auxiliary plate 19 is secured to the plate 8. The extremities of the resilient arms t are curved to form finger holds 20 and adjacent these linger holds there are laterally extended shoulders 21, preferably formed integrally with the arms 7.

Curvilinear plates 22 are secured to the slat rods 3, these plates 22 being notched upon their edges to form tongues 24, outstanding from the plates 22.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings a modiiied form of the invention is shown. In this form of the invention, the arm 25 is provided with an outstanding U-shaped element 26 adapted to fit over the slat rod 3, one end of the arm 25 being pivotally secured to a plate 27, which, in its turn is adapted to be secured to the upright stiles 1 of the blinds, and to be disposed substantially as are the plates 4 in Fig. l of the drawings.

Let it be supposed that the component elements of the invention are disposed as shown in Fig. Then the operation of the device is as follows -When the remote ends of the arms 7 are seized and swung in opposite directions the arms will rotate upon the retaining elements 10. As the adjacent edges' of the arms move toward each other, the outstanding portions 14 of the arms 7 will move beneath the overhanging portions 12 of the plates 8, the rounded ends 18 of the arms 16 enabling the said arms 16 to ride up smoothly over the arms 7, transversely of the same. Vhen t-he meeting edges of the arms 7 are thus brought into abutment, the said arms may be slid in opposite directions, the elongated openings 9 permitting this movement. Then the arms are thus slid in opposite directions, the members 7 at the ends of the notches 11, engage beneath the heads of plates 4, thus causing the slidably mounted portions of the device to interlock with the heads G. The fingers 15 will likewise slide across t-he arms 16 and bear against the edges of the auxiliary plates 19. The extensions 17 will, at the same time lock into the angles denoted by the numerals 28 in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that when the arms 7 are moved pivotally and slid longitudinally, there will be a plurality of interlocking elements at the adjacent ends of the said arms, holding` the said adjacent ends of the arms together securely.

The operation last above described relates merely to the function exercised by the invention as a means for holding two blinds together. The device, however, serves not merely as a blind lock, but, as well, as a means for holding the movable slats of the blinds, either in a tightly closed or in ay partially open position. Passing now to the operation of the device, considered as a means for limiting the movement of the slats of the blinds, it will be seen that when the arms 7 are drawn in opposite directions, as hereinbefore described, the remote ends of the said arms' may, by means of the finger holds 20, be lifted, so that the shoulders 21 will clear the tongues 24 upon the plates 22, the resiliency of the arms 7 causing the said shoulders, when the arms are released to interlock with the tongues 24, the body of the arms 7 registering between the said tongues. These resilient arms 7 bearing against the plates 22 will obviously hold the slats 2 in a closed position, the tongues 24 preventing the slat rod 8 from being moved longitudinally. However, by lifting the ends of the arms 7 slightly, the slat rods 3 may be moved longitudinally, so that the arms 7 may be made to register between the successive sets of the tongues 24, thus permitting the slats 2 to stand entirely open, or partially open, as well as in an entirely closed position. It has been pointed out hereinbefore that the adjacent ends of the arms 7 are adapted to interlock against pivotal movement, and by the reason of this fact, it will be impossible for the slats 2 to be tilted or rattled by the wind; the slats 2 obviously being controlled by the rods 3, and the rods 3 being iirmly engaged by the remote ends of the arms 7, which said arms, at their adjacent ends are, as hereinbefore pointed out, securely inter-locked against pivotal movement.

To unlock the blinds, and likewise to set the slats 2 free, the remote ends of the arms 7 are lifted out from between the tongues 24. The arms 7 are then slid longitudinally toward each other, to break the engagement between the interlocking elements hereinbefore described, whereupon the arms 7 may be swung into a position in alinement with the stiles 1, whereupon the blinds may be opened.

It should be noted that each of the arms 7 is operative, when the blind is swung open, to hold the slats 2 in the manner hereinbefore described, the arm 7 in such case merely exercising its resilient function against the Slat rod 3.

The device shown in Fig. 7 is adapted to be used when it is desired merely to hold the slats 2, without locking the blinds together. T he device shown in Fig. 7 is merely a simplified form of the device shown in the preceding figures.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A device for securing blind slats, consisting of a. resilient arm; means for securing the arm to a blind for both pivotal and longitudinal sliding movement, the arm being' pivotally movable to overhang the slats of the blind; and means engageable by the arm when the same is slid longitudinally, to lock the arm against pivotal movement.

2. A device of the class described comprising arms arranged to be pivotally mounted upon a pair of blinds adjacent the meeting edges thereof, and having elements l at their adjacent ends to interlock With each l other, the arms at their remote ends being` operable to hold the slats of the blinds against movement.

3. A device of the class described comprising resilient arms arranged to be pivotally mounted upon a pair of blinds adjacent the meet-ing edges thereof, and having elements at their adjacent ends to interlock with each other, the arms being arranged at their remote ends to bear yieldingly upon the slat rods of the blinds.

4. A device of the class described comprising resilient arms arranged to be secured to a pair of blinds adjacent the meeting edges thereof, and having interlocking elements at their adjacent ends, the arms being arranged at their remote ends to hold the slats of the blinds against movement; the arms being pivotally movable to dispose their remote ends in slat holding position, and being slidably movable to bring the interlocking elements into engagen'ient.

5. A device of the class described consisting of members arranged to be secured to the slat rods of a pair of blinds; arms arranged to be pivotally mounted upon the blinds adjacent the meeting edges thereof and having elements at their adjacent ends to interlock with each other, the arms, at 'their remote ends, and the rod carried members being arranged to interlock at predetermined steps, when the slat rods are shifted longitudinally.

6. A device of the class described comprising members arranged to be secured to the slat rods of a pair of blinds; resilient together and to dispose their remote ends in position to interlock With the rod carried members; the arms being slidable to engage the rod carried members and to cause the interlocking elements at their adjacent ends to engage with each other.

7. A device of the class described comprising base plates arranged to be secured to a pair of blinds adjacent to the meeting edges thereof; resilient arms secured to the base plates and arranged at their remote ends to hold the slats of the blinds in closed position, the adjacent ends of the arms being arranged to interlock with the plates; there being mutually interlocking elements upon the adjacent ends of the arms; the arms being pivotally movable into their slat holding positions, and being slidably movable to cause the mutually interlocking elements to engage with each other, and to cause the adjacent ends of the arms to interlock with the 1,)lates.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, have hereto atlixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ERNEST L. PRATT.

litnesses RUDOLPH KARL, BENJAMIN F. KARL. 

